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Andrew Kennedy (199 KP) rated The Conjuring (2013) in Movies

Nov 15, 2020

I can't believe it took me 7 years to watch this film.
The story of Ed and Lorraine Warren who are demnologists that investigate supernatural and paranormal phenomena. In an opening we are also introduced to Annabelle (more of her to come) a possessed doll and how the Warren's dealt with her.
The film depicts the events from the Perron family haunting. A family who bought an old farm house only to find they may not be alone.
This is beautifully shot, the dark looks so good, cinematography is amazing as is the use of sound. From the score to the use of voices and creaks that populate the house the feeling of "something " been there is constant.
James Wan shows he is a master of his craft the film delivers on all the ghost story/haunted house/ possession vibe it's going for.
Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga are very likeable leads as the Warren's

Who would think clapping is scary?

Kudos

Tom Turner (388 KP) rated Call for the Dead in Books

Apr 30, 2021

Call for the Dead

John Le Carre | 2011 | Fiction & Poetry

9.0

(2 Ratings)

Book Rating

Knowing this is le Carré's first novel is in my opinion key to appreciating this book. Even if you don't know much about le Carré you probably DO know his reputation for complex plotting. If you come to Call For The Dead expecting plotting that you get in his later work you may be disappointed. In no way am I saying the plotting here is bad, far from it indeed. The plot is well crafted, and in the hands of any other author may be perceived as a great work. However, with le Carré we have come to expect more, and you can tell this is a man honing his craft. It is a very good access book for new readers of le Carré as long as that reader is aware that it gets more complex the further into le Carré's world you go, so you don't get daunted the deeper into this world you go.

Kudos

Adam Carolla recommended Saving Private Ryan (1998) in Movies (curated)

Saving Private Ryan (1998)

1998 | Action, Drama, War

8.9

(91 Ratings)

Movie Favorite Watch

"The opening 18 minutes of that thing, I mean, when the door dropped on the Higgins craft and it all of a sudden was World War Two in color, seeing blood, seeing guys walking around looking for their arm that had been blown off. Weird poignant scenes where the medic was like stopping the bleeding and the bullet would just go right through the guy’s head. Also the story was strong too; there’s a bunch of guys named Ryan spread out all over the place and they think they’re finding him, and his guys kind of going, “Why are we killing ourselves trying to save one guy, and we’ve lost two or three of our own?” That thing that would never go on today. And all the stops along the way, there’s no way an hour into that movie I went, “Nah, I don’t care if they find him or not, I’m moving on.”"

Source

Kudos

Ed O'Brien recommended Scott 3 by Scott Walker in Music (curated)

Scott 3 by Scott Walker

1969 | Pop, Singer-Songwriter

7.0

(1 Ratings)

Album Favorite

"Argh, I'm changing my mind now. Do I pick Scott 3 or Scott 4? Err…oh God, this is hard. Sorry. OK, I'll go for 3, purely because my wife and I were listening to it in the kitchen yesterday. Scott 4's my most-played album on all of my devices at home – it's literally been played three times more than any other record. But Scott 3…there's something especially moving about it right now. The end of 'Sons Of', that final moment. We both in tears at the end of it last night. Blubbing like idiots while making supper.  Among Radiohead, Scott Walker's definitely our unifying artist. First of all, it's his voice: it's just undeniable in its power. Then there's the Wally Stott arrangements, all this extraordinary instrumentation. To think that he was doing jingles and TV adverts at the same time. There's such craft in his albums, and such constant inspiration."

Source

Kudos

Elizabeth Ann Brough (5 KP) rated The Other Queen (The Plantagenet and Tudor Novels, #15) in Books

Aug 25, 2019

Very visual - easy to "see" the subject, features some characters from history that are not always well known, informative and entertaining. Philippa Gregory may have her critics, but I am not one of, (0 more)

One of Philippa Gregory's Best

Philippa Gregory may have her critics, but I am not one of them. This is one of my favourite novels of hers and she does a great job of introducing the reader to the formidable Bess of Hardwick, a figure from history that I knew next to nothing about, but who was a witness to, and a part of, some important moments in history. One thing that I like about Philippa Gregory is that she is honest about how she "fills in the gaps" of history to craft her novels - her Author's notes at the end of her works always explain this and sometimes detail how it was done. I often reread Philippa's work and I'm definitely going to go back to this, it's been too long.